Facebook and Instagram will now allow users to hide "likes" in every post. For some social media users, the impact of a simple "like reaction" in status will mean everything for the person when it comes to influencing, power, and fame.
Since 2019, the social media company has been going back and forth to assess whether they need to hide or unhide the like counts. The two applications have been finding some ways on how to alleviate the social media pressure among their users, and the recent change could be the answer for that.
You Have Now the Option to Hide 'Likes' in Facebook, Instagram
According to the recently posted blog of Facebook on Wednesday, May 26, those who use the said social media platforms can now select the option to unsee the number of likes in every post that he/she makes. In addition, the people can now also hide the number of people who "liked" posts from other users as well.
Over the past months, Facebook has been bombarded by several users over its impact on mental health. Apart from that, others criticized the tech titan for being inconsiderate to its implementations which only benefit them.
This week, the company which also handles Instagram has handed the privilege for the users to activate the feature by themselves rather than sticking to the default ones.
"What we heard from people and experts was that not seeing like counts was beneficial for some and annoying to others, particularly because people use like counts to get a sense of what's trending or popular, so we're giving you a choice," Facebook said in a report by CNN.
Read Also : Instagram Users Now Have the Choice to Hide 'Like' Counts in Latest Test--Way to Lessen Social Pressure?
If you happen to share public posts on Facebook, the viewers will also see those who reacted "like" to the posts. However, the number of likes will not be disclosed. This means that even if the post is only shared for a limited audience, the person who originally posted the photo can still see how many people like the posts.
Facebook Will Focus on the Main Content
Now that we are getting the option to conceal the "likes," Facebook announced that what they are doing is a move to "focus" more on the shared videos and pictures.
Users can also set if they want to unsee the number of people who pressed "like" to the other users' posts in the news feed. The social media platform said that you can go to Settings and find the "New Posts" section to enable this feature.
While it would ease the feeling of some users, the social media influencers could receive the consequences of these changes. Since the prominent streamers, artists, and other famous individuals rely on publicity, the number of like counts could indicate the surge of users in their feed. This could also be a mark to reach out more partnerships with other people.
To further improve its service to the people, Facebook said that it is continuously developing its products and policies for the two major platforms. Currently, the company added that it is open to accept proposals from non-profits and academics to achieve what they want best for all people.
Related Article: Facebook Removes the Like Button on New Page Design: Here's What You Can See Instead
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Joseph Henry
